"Oh sweet baby Jesus,..."

"...I was a total harpie!"

Hello children!

Well, this is my lame attempt at my long-awaited rant that I have been promising to come.

Two words: Christians suck!

Now, let me explain. We [Christians] have pretty much tainted the title of Christian. Some where along the way we screwed up and got lost in translation (and I do mean a literal translation). Somewhere we screwed up with what Jesus set as an example and commanded us to do. Everyone, all together now, what was it that Christ was and gave us as a command: Love! (Mt.22:36-40; Jn. 13:34-35, 15:12; 1 Jn. 3:23; etc.) Very good...very good.

So, why the [censor] are we hung up on tradition?! Why are we hung up on your dress for church and call it "respect for God"? Why are we so hung up on making things more complicated with rules and not simply living and loving our Creator?

Seriously? ...Seriously? (For all you Grey's fans...)

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church (and I still go to this church on a regular basis). The way I remember being raised in this church was that emphasis was placed on tradition -- and is sadly still, you can see and feel it. You do things because that is the way things have been done. You go to church because that's what you do if you're a Christian. You sing along with every song and disregard the words you are singing because you are supposed to sing, I mean, what if someone were to see you not singing, what would they think? If you don't wear a jacket and tie while you preach that is unacceptable and disrespectful to God. And my ever favorite, you become a Christian because that's what you do so you don't go to Hell.

Really? (I could keep going, but I do believe you have gotten the idea...)

Today (for Sunday morning church), I wore bluejeans and a T-shirt (not too unusual for me, the unusual was that I was off work and got to wear that). I still sang in the choir in front of the entire congregation; my normal Sunday routine. Wanna know what was on the front of my tee? UDP: Upper Deck Pub. (My parents brought me this shirt back from New England. I love it 'cause the style of it is like Hyde from That 70's Show...very kickin'.) Did I care? Heck to the no I didn't care (mainly because that is me). I told my mother that I almost wore my Doors T-shirt. She told me that may be pushing it, so I asked why. Her response: respect for God.

Really? Do we really believe that or is it so that some of the older members don't leave pee spots on the pews from shock?

I did wear my Doors tee to church one Sunday last year. One of the younger married adults saw it and asked why I wore it. "Because I like it. They had some pretty decent music." She then told me if I were to stand before Christ in that shirt that I would be embarrassed because there I would be in front of Christ in a Jim Morrison (he's dressed, not nakie) shirt. I looked at her and said, "No, not really. He'd probably look at me with no regard for the shirt and say, 'Rock on! You're here!' and we'd go walkin' into Heaven."

What if I were someone they didn't know. What if I didn't know Christ. What if I happened to pass by that church Sunday after Sunday and one day finally get enough courage to go in there wearing that same exact outfit? And, instead of feeling accepted and an overwhelming presence of love, I felt judgment because I wasn't in the appropriate clothing? I would walk out and God only knows if I would ever attempt to step another foot in another church.

The last I checked a suit and tie, dress pants, dress, business casual, a jacket, a button-up shirt, etc. were not a part of any requirement to come before the throne of God and worship Him.

Welcome to the House of Pharisees! Members jackets required.

We have become so concerned about our outward appearance that we are decaying inside (now why does that sound familiar?...).

27"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness" (Matthew 23:27-28, NIV).

If we place more emphasis on a jacket and tie than on worshiping God, get rid of it. Get down on your knees at the prayer bench, in your pew, at the alter, at the foot of the cross and pray for 1) forgiveness for your idolatry and 2) for God to change your heart from the hardness that you have allowed tradition to form. That goes for anything in the church that you find yourself putting a stronger emphasis on over God.

I am not completely against tradition, don't think that I'm all for knocking it out completely.

I am for singing hymns. But! I am not for singing hymns (or any song) mindlessly and because if I don't sing along, someone will see and then what will they think. What will they think? Maybe they may just happen to think that you aren't singing because there is something in those lyrics that you are struggling with meaning right now because of something if your life and they are sparked to pray for you or even evaluate his/her own life. If anything you not singing is more of a testimony and witness than singing. Or, maybe they will simply think you don't enjoy singing, or that maybe you just don't feel up to singing that morning. Maybe you don't know that song very well. Who cares? Do you seriously think you are more important that they would rather pay attention to you than to worshiping God?

Maybe you had better not sing and fall on your face before the Almighty and repent if you are that concerned about what people may think of you not singing.

Hymns are roots. Today's praise music is inspired by the same things that inspired hymns. Hymns were the contemporary praise choruses of their time. I'm for them (every now and then...mix it up.).

I am for other traditions that are held because those are roots. They show where we have come from and how we got to where we stand now. Roots help you to stand firm and grow.

I can't think of specific traditions that I am for right now because I'm tired and having trouble making sense in my head so that it can be communicated properly.


My mom once told me (after I had a quick rant about our church and its strong emphasis on traditions) that maybe I should look for a different church if I had a problem with ours. That's not always the solution to a problem. First off, I don't feel/hear God directing me to leave and find a new church, and second, I see hope for our church. I see our church breaking free from the bondage of traditions that hold it down and keep it from growing and evolving into this amazing thing! I want to be a part of that revolution in the life of this church. It is in need of it and I want to be one of the warriors fighting for it; I refuse to see it crumble and die when it is able to fight. There are other warriors within this congregation who desire the same thing for our church and I refuse to leave them. God has not told me to leave, so I am staying.

(I just had the songs One Girl Revolution by Superchick and Million Voices by BarlowGirl run through my head...hahaha!)

Anyway. That's all I really have right now... This is just something that has been swelling up inside me and I needed to vent it.

I guess now the question I have to ask myself is, "What are you going to do with this?"

The End.